a flat white
by KokoLockhart
Summary: stress overcomes riku as his finals approach. when he meets a barista girl named naminé, he finds that there were more things to be stressed about than solving physics equations. — a riku/naminé fanfic. [for rikunami day 2019!]


Riku was tired.

And his physics class was in thirty minutes.

Why he chose the subject? He didn't know. He hated thinking about why he did. He enjoyed it in high school so he thought in college it would be the same case.

While it technically was, the work loads upon work loads was horrifically _dreadful. _His sleeping schedule was screwed, he would survive off of cup noodles, he had to meet close deadlines and he was tired all the freakin' time. His alarm clock gave him no mercy as it screamed into his ears at seven o'clock in the morning on the dot.

Maybe that was why he was walking to the campus coffee house right now. His body was completely out of it and his eyes were so droopy. He didn't drink coffee, he wasn't sure if he'd even _like_ it since he never had it. However, his best friends, Sora and Kairi, always had a cup with them and always commented how it woke them up in the morning. Maybe it'd be good for him. _Maybe._

When he went inside, it was quiet and wasn't so busy. Students were seated in their places on their laptops studying and taking down notes, some with earphones on. It seemed like a nice work environment... maybe he could start studying here during his breaks and after classes. The vibrant smell of fresh coffee beans seemed to be endearing to his nostrils so it couldn't be that bad, right?

When he got up in front of the counter, his eyes were already looking at the menu confusedly.

...Double espresso? A caramel... macchiato? _What on earth was a cappuccino?_

"Do you need help?"

Riku blinked and paid his attention across to a blond headed female that was opposite from him. "Huh?"

She only smiled at him. "You look a little baffled. Do you need help in ordering what drink you want?"

He suddenly looked slightly flustered as he scratched the back of his head. "I've never had coffee is all. The menu took me by surprise."

"It's all right," she laughed and slid out a paper cup, "You aren't the first one. A lot of people struggle on what to order since there's various types of coffee drinks."

"Don't you get tired making them all?" Riku found himself asking.

The barista shrugged. "Not really. Though, it's a _real_ chore when exam prep season is here."

"I can't imagine that," he chuckled out before glancing back at the menu again, "So what would you recommend?"

"Well, since you've never had coffee before then I think it'd be best for you to start on something sweet," she hummed softly, "A mocha sounds nice. It's a blend of coffee and hot chocolate with an added creamy texture to it. Would you like to try it?"

Riku nodded and dropped down his money. "Sounds tasty. I'll have it."

He watched as she started making his order... and he suddenly felt more tired that he was already just by watching her. Seeing her do so many things quickly just to make one drink? Riku suddenly felt guilty that he even had the audacity to say he had it hard; when the female barista in front of him had to wake up even earlier than he did just to work at this quick demanding pace.

"Here you go!" she wrapped his cup up with a paper sleeve and handed it to him.

"Thank you," Riku took a sip and he could immediately taste the flavour of the cream and chocolate, "This... isn't so bad."

"I was hoping it wouldn't be. I'm glad you like it."

He shot her a small smile back and reached for his pocket, taking out another bill. "Here."

She shot her eyes down at the money and quickly recoiled. "O-Oh! No, it's all right. You don't have to."

Riku shook his head and laughed a little. "It's the least I could do for you. Take it, please."

Looking at him again, she stared down at the tip one last time before hesitantly taking it. "Th-Thank you so much..."

"No problem," he smiled again and snuck a glance at her name tag, "Thanks again, Naminé."

Naminé nodded in gratitude. "You're welcome, um..."

"Riku."

"Riku," Naminé repeated softly with a light grin, "Thank you, Riku."

Riku nodded and made his way out, sipping his mocha with content as he got ready for his class.

...

When he walked into the coffee house the next morning, he was quietly relived to see Naminé up at the front of the counter again.

"Hey Riku," she greeted him with that ever so radiant smile of hers, "What would you like today?"

Riku set his cup down and looked at the menu. "A flat white."

Naminé looked surprised and understandably so. "A flat white? It's a little bitter and tastes nothing like the mocha you had yesterday. Are you sure?"

He just nodded. "Yeah. I realised having too much sugar in the morning might end up being an issue after all."

She laughed and took his cup. "I guess it is. I'm glad to see you're reusing your cup too."

"Anything to encourage recycling," Riku shrugged with a smile and watched her make his drink.

"That's really admirable, Riku," Naminé gave him his coffee, "It's a little foamy but it should give you that quick kick of energy."

"Thank you," he got out his money and placed it onto the counter, sending a glance at the tip jar before he quickly slipped in a bill without her noticing. He didn't have class today but decided he'd stop by anyway to get some studying done, hence why he brought his laptop.

When he found a place to sit, he got into his study mode and started typing away. He'd occasionally drifted his attention off from his work though when he'd see Naminé coming into frame from his peripheral. She would either be serving the customers or wiping off the tables... sometimes sketching something.

_She does art? Wow._

He didn't mean to ogle for so long so when she caught him looking at her, Riku snapped his eyes away in sudden vivid embarrassment.

Maybe it was just him, but he could've sworn her heard Naminé giggling at him quietly before she went back to the front.

Riku felt his cheeks go warm. Warmer than his drink next to him. Was he ill? Was a cold coming onto him?

No. He usually didn't become so sick easily.

Then why was his heart racing so quickly? Could it be-

_Hell no._

No, no, **no...**

He wasn't crushing on Naminé _already_, was he? He'd only just met her!

Riku vigorously shook his head and took a long sip at his coffee, but grimaced when he swallowed it down. She was right. It was really bitter but it did seem to train his thoughts back to his work, that he really needed to do and not let this bother him.

_Study magnetic forces and electrical fields, Riku. Not the beautiful radiant barista girl at the cashier._

He sighed heavily.

Great...

...

Riku came back again the next day after his classes. It was the afternoon and _boy_, was it busy.

He was eager to find a seat and get his work done... but he was also eager to see Naminé again.

When he walked up to the queue, he saw Naminé handling the cash register whilst her co-workers worked on the drinks. His lips thinned a little. As selfish and stupid as it sounded, he did specifically want her to make his drink. Riku was afraid that the other baristas wouldn't make his coffee just how he liked it, as childish that may have been.

"Hi Riku," Naminé exhaled deeply but her voice was in a rush as she dropped the cash into the cashier box, "What would you like to order?"

"A flat white," he smiled at her and noticed her beaming lightly.

"Oh, so you liked it?" Naminé laughed as she quickly switched roles with one of her co-workers and started to make his drink. _Thank god._ "Not many people do so it's nice to be able to make an easy order during this rush hour."

And in record time, she handed him his coffee with a smile before taking the next order. Riku didn't get a chance to say his thank you as it progressively began to get busier. He shuffled his way out of the crowded queue and luckily managed to find a spot after someone had just left.

Riku settled down his bag and laptop, taking one last sneak peek at Naminé before putting on his headphones to drown out the noise.

Later on, his attention was caught off guard when he felt someone sitting opposite in from of it. He looked up from his laptop screen and saw Naminé. He blinked and pulled the lid of the laptop down halfway.

She smiled at him meekly. "Sorry to interrupt you, Riku. You just haven't kept your eyes off of the screen."

He raised an eyebrow and checked his wrist watch. "How long has it been?"

"Three hours," Naminé told him causing Riku's eyes to widen, "I know, it goes by so fast when you're so busy!" she shook her head and sipped on her coffee, "I suggest you should take a break? Looking at your screen for so long isn't so good."

Riku took off his headphones and rested them against his shoulder as he put his laptop away. "Yeah, I guess you're right. My eyes do kinda hurt."

"You look like you don't sleep much," she studied his face for a moment, "Are your finals coming?"

"Yep," he nodded and then rubbed his eyes, letting out a long exhale, "They're next week so I'm cramming in as much info I can. I tend to procrastinate a lot in my dorm room so I try to spend as much time away from there until I need to sleep."

"Spoken like a true trooper," Naminé grinned at him and he chuckled along with her, "But I really hope you'll get some proper shut eye when exam season slows down. You definitely need it."

"Thank you," Riku exchanged a smile and then eyed at her coffee cup, "What did you get?"

"A flat white," she answered and wrapped her hand around her cup, "It's my favourite."

"Really?" he looked down at his own, which had been already empty from hours ago. Riku then gazed back up at her. "I think it's becoming my favourite too."

Her eyebrows raised in amusement but she smiled nonetheless. "That's the first thing we have in common then. What's your favourite colour?"

"Blue. You?"

"It's a tie between yellow and white."

"White? But that's really plain."

"Mhm, it is. That's why I like wearing colours such as light blue and yellow with it. It makes it stand out much better."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised then," Riku scratched the back of his head, "You are an artist after all. You know your colours pretty well."

He noticed her cheeks going a little red. Her lips curled upwards, her teeth showing. "Thanks, Riku..."

Riku had that feeling in his chest again and he suddenly found hard to breathe. "No problem..."

Crap, crap, _crap._

He was an idiot. _He was such an idiot._

He felt something towards Naminé. _Already. _

_Oh my god._

He didn't even know if she already had someone. Maybe she didn't? If she did, it was be a total embarrassment for him.

So Riku decided to push those thoughts aside, forcibly, and continued talking to her as they asked each other questions to get to know one another better.

Because that was what he wanted until he had the guts to actually ask her out... _on a date._

...

_How to ask a girl out._

Riku skimmed through the website quickly but found nothing that would remotely help him. So he went onto another site.

_How to charm a girl._

_**First, come up with the best puns.**_

He rolled his eyes and exited the screen. _Yeah right. _Like Naminé would enjoy stupid puns coming out from his mouth. He wasn't Sora.

Sighing, Riku went back onto his work, his concentration quickly disappearing the second he laid his eyes onto Naminé again as she was working.

It was so hard to look away. She was practically intoxicating him. Indirectly, of course.

Regrettably, Riku forced himself to look back at the site again with the pun idea and saw if any were tagged under the word 'coffee'.

_I like you... a latté._

All right, no. He was **done.**

...

Riku didn't go to the campus coffee house the next day and then the few days after that. His classes ran until seven in the evening so he didn't have time to catch a drink or eat anything until he went back to his dorm room, where Sora would make him a ham and cheese sandwich for dinner. After he washed up, he passed out onto his bed immediately.

He decided to take the day off when morning came. He didn't have any classes and while he wouldn't stay in his dorm room to study because of distractions, his bed was way too comfortable to even leave it. Plus, Sora had his classes all day and had a date with Kairi, so he basically had the room to himself.

He thought about Naminé for a second. And then the sudden heat erupted his cheeks again.

_Damn it, Riku! What's **wrong** with you?!_

He wondered how she was doing. How tired she must be making countless of coffee orders. He felt bad. He hadn't even attempted to see her because he'd been so busy for his finals-

_And, _because of the fact he would just act like an awkward mess around her.

Riku rubbed his temples. He hadn't told anyone yet. He wouldn't tell Sora. He'd just tease him about it. Kairi was definitely out of the picture. She would talk nonstop about it being adorable and cute, and he was not down for that.

He didn't really need advice. It was common sense to him. Just get to know the girl, have them feel comfortable around you and then strike.

But Riku didn't know how to strike. _Hey, I like you._ Too forward. _Hey, I like you **a lot.**_ That sounded even more stupid.

Ugh, it hurt his head. There were so many other girls he passed by at the campus, many that were interested in him but he wasn't able to bat an eye at them. Not out of being rude, he just wasn't settled enough to be in a relationship. He was too awkward about it as well. Once his finals were over next week, Summer would start for him and he'd be helping out at the campus library as his job. Would he have time then? Most likely.

He didn't know if Naminé had any finals of her own. She didn't mention any. Maybe she already did hers? And that was why she spent most of the time at the coffee house?

Riku glanced back at his laptop screen before looking at the door. After a moment of contemplation, he set down his headphones, got dressed and headed out. He knew everything he had to study for the exam at the back of his head already. More studying could wait.

He strode into the coffee house but didn't see Naminé at all. He squinted, looking around the place pensively but she wasn't there.

"Hello! What would you like today?" said a short black haired girl.

He hesitated before handing her his cup. "A flat white, please," Riku looked around once more, trying to not make it obvious that he was looking for someone, "Uh... Is Naminé here?"

"Naminé?" the barista blinked before getting onto making his order, "She called in saying she had to work on some of her art assignments. I think she's in the art department somewhere doing that."

Riku nodded and thanked her for the drink. He stood there silently, happy that there was no queue behind him before he asked, "Would you mind if you could make me another one of these?"

"Oh sure! Don't mind at all!" she readied his other drink. Riku sipped at the coffee a little. Okay, it wasn't so bad. Still wasn't how Naminé did it but oh well. As he handed down the cash, she asked him, "Would you like a cup holder too?"

"Sure," he responded and he put them inside the holder, "Thank you."

"Of course, have a nice day!"

While holding the cups with one hand, Riku took out his phone and looked at the campus map. He'd never been to the art department before and since the campus was huge, getting lost would be a waste of time. Once he found the location, he made the journey towards it being careful of the drinks and the people he passed.

He stopped when he realised that he entered the hallways of the art department. Idly and slowly, he began walking and looked around inside the classes to see if he could spot Naminé. While he did want to take the time and appreciate the artwork displayed everywhere in front of him, holding these drinks was already straining his fingers. He also looked odd, so he wanted to save himself from the embarrassment, even though he was sure people holding cups holders full of coffee was the norm around here.

Riku peeked inside one of the rooms just for a second and then quickly pulled back before anyone in there could see him.

Okay. So she wasn't in _there._

He walked over to the other art room next door and snuck in a glance, not seeing the blonde girl in there either.

_God, please._ He begged her to be in the classroom next. When he poked his head inside, Riku saw that no one was in and was about to conclude that it was empty, but managed to spot a flicker of blonde poking out from the paint bottles that were piled onto the table.

He sighed inwardly in relief and strolled in with a small smile. She heard him walk in and lifted her head up, blinking in slight surprise to see him but smiled back warmly nonetheless.

"Hi Riku," Naminé clasped her hands together in greeting, "What are you doing here?"

"I didn't see you back at the coffee house so I asked one of your co-workers about your whereabouts," he answered and settled the coffee down onto the table, "...I thought you'd might like a drink as well."

"Oh! Thank you so much!" She put the rest of the pain bottles away and sat beside him, "I'm sorry about that. I had deadlines today so I wanted to get my work done and out of the way."

Riku nodded in understanding and looked at the sheets of paintings me drawings sprawled around the table. "Are these yours?"

Naminé blushed lightly and nodded, taking a sip of her coffee. "All of my pieces that were towards my final one."

He stared at them closely, taking in every detail. "You weren't kidding about doing art," Riku ran a hand down a particular sketch that caught his eye. A boy and a girl sitting down opposite each other, looking like they're having a conversation, "You're really good, Naminé."

She laughed. "Thank you. I try my best."

He asked another question, this time slowly. "Is that... you?"

Her smile widened. "Our project was to showcase our daily life. Seemed pretty vague to me because I don't do much other than my job and this course," she looked over at the sketch and pointed at the other person, "And yes, that _is_ you."

Riku's cheeks warmed up again as he glanced back at her. "Really?"

"Mhm! Your hair was sort of hard to remember but you have the same style as Mr. Caelum has from our crafts class, so I managed to use that as a reference."

"Mr. Caelum? You mean Noctis?" he scratched the back of his head with a flustered chuckle, "He's actually my older cousin."

"I thought so! You two look so much alike."

"Yeah I get that all the time," Riku playfully rolled his eyes and stared at the sketch again, "I'm assuming we're drinking flat whites as well."

Naminé grinned at him. "Why wouldn't we? I finally found my flat white drinking friend after all."

_Friend._

He couldn't help but reciprocate the emotion back at her, his stomach doing various flips at the same time. They had only known each other for a little while and progressed to the friends stage already.

Riku really did feel like he was in those cheesy romance novels.

Without the romance part though. Not yet at least.

Taking a deep breath and another sip of his drink, Riku positioned himself so that he was fully facing her. He saw Naminé noticing as she blinked before she put down her cup to the side, patiently waiting for him to speak.

Riku gulped, his palm becoming sweaty. "Once finals are over, you wouldn't happen to... you know," he drifted off, rethinking of his wording as panic swelled inside his chest, "That's if you want to! I'm not saying you should, that's totally up to you and..." Riku stalled, seeing that she was looking at him intently before he sighed longingly, clearing his throat this time, "I-I... would like to take you out sometime. It doesn't have to be a date... just us... _hanging out..."_

_Oh dear. _Riku exhaled sharply and closed his eyes, wiping off some of the sweat that was forming against his forehead. This was tough. Probably tougher than all the physics equations he had to do all his life. _Probably._

But feeling Naminé's hand resting on top of his made him shoot them open again. Riku looked down at their hands, her small delicate finger tips almost tickling his own.

"I'd like that," she said, her voice soft and gentle that it made Riku comfortable to look back up at her again, "...We can go to a real authentic coffee shop that's a few blocks away in the city. They make the best flat whites out there."

At that, he found himself laughing quite a bit even though he was nervous. Hearing her laugh as well calmed him down and he laughed along with her.

When they relaxed again, Riku shook his head and straightened up. "I'm serious," he said, "I would like to take you out sometime. If... that's okay with you?"

It didn't take a second for her to give an approval. "Of course, Riku. I would be delighted to."

He smiled and realised that their hands were still touching, but Naminé made no indication that she would let go. It made him ask, "You're not... with anyone, right?"

Naminé giggled. "I'm not, no. In fact, this would be my first date."

Having someone sitting right in front of him with such ethereal beauty, Riku had to refrain himself from looking stupid as his jaw threatened to drop. At least, at the very least, he wouldn't have to feel so nervous and embarrassed anymore. "Mine too..."

She just continued to smile at him before pulling her hand away. She scribbled down something on a small piece of paper and gave to him. "My number."

"Thanks," Riku took it, making a mental note to text her later as he pocketed it away safely. They sat down, drinking their coffee whilst holding a casual conversation. This time, it felt much more different as Riku didn't have to worry about other people hearing and watching them. He was at ease. Finally.

He enjoyed Naminé's company a lot. Yeah, his exams were drowning him but knowing how relaxed he felt when he was talking about something that didn't have to do with finals stress, Riku wanted to make time for more of that happening. With her.

Wait, why would he be waiting until finals were over? He had plenty of time and this would be a good chance...

"Do you want to catch some lunch?" he asked and checked his wrist watch, "It's on me."

"Oh! Sure, I hadn't realised the time," Naminé wondered off to the back after cleaning up and grabbed her coat and bag, "And it's okay, you don't have to pay for anything."

Riku waved it off though. "No, it's all right. I have plenty of cash to burn anyway," he got ready and also wore his own coat, "You fancy Italian?"

"Italian?" Naminé tilted her head, "I don't think the cafeteria does Italian food, Riku..."

He grinned at her. "Who says we're eating at the cafeteria?"

It took a second for her to understand what he meant and her face heated up slightly. "Y-You mean... _now?_"

Riku nodded, taking his drink with one hand and her hand with his other. "Yeah, c'mon."

When hearing Naminé laugh again and feeling her squeeze their hands once more, Riku couldn't be anymore ecstatic.


End file.
